Jeff Bezos went to space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket as part of the company's first crewed flight. The historic flight marked a milestone for commercial space travel.
Bezos announced his plan to step down as the CEO of Amazon in the third quarter of 2021, transitioning to the role of executive chairman. Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services, was set to succeed him.
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion to combat climate change through the Bezos Earth Fund, which would fund scientists, activists, and NGOs to preserve and protect the natural world.
Bezos publicly accused the National Enquirer of blackmail and extortion after it published exposés about his affair, stating that he was standing up to the publication instead of capitulating to their demands.
Jeff Bezos announced the launch of the Bezos Day One Fund, which would focus on funding existing non-profits that help homeless families, and creating a network of new, non-profit tier-one preschools in low-income communities.
Jeff Bezos's wealth momentarily surpassed $100 billion for the first time on November 24, 2017, making him the richest person in the world according to Forbes's wealth index. After sporadic jumps in Amazon's share price, in July 2017 he briefly unseated Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as the wealthiest person in the world.
Jeff Bezos agreed to purchase The Washington Post and other publications affiliated with The Washington Post Co. for $250 million. The acquisition reflected Bezos’s interest in the future of newspapers in the digital age.
Seeing a lifelong interest in space exploration to fruition, Bezos founded Blue Origin, an aerospace company aimed at developing technologies to enable private human access to space at lower costs and increased reliability.
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com on July 5, 1994, in a garage in Bellevue, Washington. Initially an online bookstore, Amazon would grow to become the largest internet retailer and a model for e-commerce.
Jeffrey Preston Bezos was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Jacklyn Gise Jorgensen and Ted Jorgensen. His birth marked the start of the life of the future founder of Amazon and a game-changing entrepreneur.